The ABBA reunion isn't about money – it's a bid for immortality

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Mamma Mia, here we go again. ABBA have been back in the studio, recording new songs. “It was like time had stood still and we had only been away on a short holiday,” according to the quartet. Thirty five years short, to be more precise.

They described it as “an extremely joyful experience!” and there is something sweet about the idea of old friends and former couples setting aside decades long estrangements to rekindle musical magic. But it’s hard not to feel at least a tinge of concern.

In this era of inevitable reunions, ABBA were one of the exceedingly rare hold-outs, reportedly turning down billion dollar offers to put the show back on the road. Their years of refusal did not seem to be...